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Monday, September 5, 2016

Labor day; back to school; adventures all around!

What's happening at your place?

We're taking off on Thursday. Starting to get excited! Junior cat must be picking up on the vibes, because she's been getting into all kinds of trouble, and eating roughly her body weight in kibble every day.

The dog is a little slower, but she just cried loudly the entire time Her Man was in the bathroom (perhaps as long as 2 minutes). I have a feeling she won't handle the abandonment very well.

I basically always travel with the same arrangement -- purse, backpack with laptop, small rollerbag. Reluctant to test my skills on shopping for anything left out. Have a new purse; so what goes where still needs to be worked out. Definitely a first world set of problems. ;)

Old Skool: it's so cold and rainy here, you guys! (Even colder than where you are, Sue! We're only 9C/48F here right now.) I had a chicken all prepped to do on the barbecue, and it is pouring buckets outside, and so I had to do it in the oven. But: I couldn't do it low and slow, like I'd have liked with the oven, because I was being "clever" and got the oven doing a self-clean cycle (since I wasn't going to be using the oven today, and I have been doing a lot of warm stuff to heat up the house, because I'm grumpy about using the furnace when IT IS TECHNICALLY STILL SUMMER). The oven didn't unlock until nearly 4pm!

AW: I made a huge pot of borscht while Mr. Q and E went grocery shopping this morning. I took my time, and sang on the tops of my lungs, and it was lovely.

W: I'm grumpy because today was the last day to use our YMCA pool, which we put off until late in the afternoon to avoid sunscreen usage. We were just about ready to get suited up, and...thunder. No pool. Wah.

AW, I think: One of Mini's simultaneously endearing and infuriating traits is her insatiable creativity. She is always making something...tonight she's upcycling a toilet paper tube into something. So last night she had one of her ideas, which turned into a sewing project for me. I made her promise that she would use it as her Halloween costume, and further made her shop with me this morning (W: shopping. On a holiday. Yuck). We found material for $2.40/yard, which is unheard of, so I'm considering it mostly an investment of my time.

Muffin Man's school is having auditions for their fall play...today! No advanced warning for the kids who aren't taking Drama (MM is not taking Drama)

However, according to our neighbor, who is very active in the high school performances (she's a junior), there are very very very few young men who try out, so I'm betting MM gets a part despite not having practiced an audition piece.

I'll be picking him and two of his friends up, since there's no activity bus.

AW: This is why we didn't have him try for the Very Competitive Regional High School that's an hour away. He knew he wanted to be in school plays, and we knew we wanted him to be in school plays, and the VCRHS doesn't have activity buses either. Driving 5 minutes to do the car pool vs. driving an hour each way to do the car pool is a big difference. And our local HS is highly rated in the state, just not quite on the same level with VCRHS.

My own high school was a VCRHS, too, but NYC has subways and buses, and the DC Metro doesn't come out to our neighborhood yet, nor will it ever be walking distance to VCRHS.

MM is almost a pro, at this point. He'll do fine, and now he'll be on the "notify" list for the drama people. It was the right choice, for him to be nearby (and thus not wasting ever so much of his and your time to get to and fro with this other school).

Just want to say, my neighbors are the best. They are something like 78 and 86 -- and their daughter visits often and is just lovely -- and they all said my daughter should call, day or night, if something comes up while we're gone. PLUS, I got to meet the polite teen grandson and also the yoga instructor, when I dropped by a bit ago. And, also got a chocolate chip cookie.

That's right; my 86 year old neighbor with dementia has a well-loved yoga instructor come by -- more for the meditation side, nowadays. And my grand excuse for barging on over was that the neighbors' daughter had mail misdelivered to my house today -- somewhere over 20 years after she moved away. (But, I really wanted her to have my email and the phone numbers, for the just in case.)

The dad visit was uneventful. It was nice to have a parent who isn't trying to start fights and spread rumors. I'm glad he came. I told him so. And who tells me he's proud of me without a BUT hanging over it.

He is a software type. Still getting good jobs at his age with companies that need people who know the older stuff. His people skills are not the best but he was a good sport as my younger son and I tried to teach him about RPGs and gaming culture.

W: oh my goodness, Pixies. My mom. She called to tell me she meddled with my brothers. (My dad did not see my brothers although he spoke with one on the phone)

AW: In an effort to be more sensible about both food and money, I have brought my healthy lunch to work today. Also, I brought coffee with my from home instead of having my beloved Timmy's. Their coffee is inexpensive, but twice a day for the work week and it adds up.

W: I went to fill my coffee cup in the office from my thermos, and the cup was laced with glitter. No idea why, but it rinsed out easily enough. :)

Huge AW: preschool orientation was awesome. I was so worried that E would have to be completely independent in the bathroom, but apparently the 3s are the best group possible for her: play-focused, relaxed, and there's both a teacher and an Educational Assistant, both of whom can help her in the bathroom. E was visibly relieved when she found out. (They're also very non-judgmental about accidents. Everyone brings a change of clothes, kept inside a large ziploc. Perfect!) (Also anti-whine: did I mention there's a full time EA? Parent helpers are "welcome but not required," and so there's a sign-up list, with each parent only helping a maximum of once a month, but no big deal if there's no parent there.)

Sounds great, QWP! How exciting!! And nice about the "come when you can, don't worry if you can't" signup for parent volunteers.

Just so you know, it is not uncommon for 3 year olds to need help in the bathroom. Even kindergarteners are asked to keep a spare change of clothes in the cubby, because every so often there is an accident. So, no worries about where E is, potty-wise.

Both Baboos were asked to bring a change of clothes to keep in their backpacks. First and second grade. Neither of them has done so, because I am a slacker mama.

W/AW: I went to a "craft reuse" store today in Nearby Big Hippie City. People donate leftover craft supplies, and other people buy them for super cheap. It was pretty organized for that kind of place, and the people were super nice. I found a few things. But, my goodness. The traffic makes it totally not worth it.

W: Also frustrated with the horse riding situation around here.

AW: I found some other good deals in thrift shops today. My favorite kind of shopping.

Esperanza -- it only seemed worth it to drive to cheap craft places when I had something big in mind, like a project for a whole class. Or, when I was trying to find inspiration for such a thing -- because the selection is so eclectic!

Hope you find some better horse options.

Bookworm AW: Decided to take some "disposable" books on the trip -- paperbacks I want to read again, but that can be offloaded as they are finished. Think the pile of 8 is probably too much! (Yeah, I know about e-readers, but really like paperbacks.)

W: Just in time, my thumbnail broke. Am not exactly a manicure type, but do aim for symmetry. Oh, well.

Hooray for Liz! And a mullet for "GLITTER COFFEE FOR EVERYONE!", which is amazing.

Happy packing and traveling, Kathy! Hooray!

You guys, it is 6:46pm, and I am in my pyjamas. Mr. Q's Wednesday night class was permanently moved from 7pm to 6pm, meaning that all semester long I'll have bedtime duty by myself for two nights a week. With the lack of sleep from last night (E fought bedtime HARD last night: I think she was nervous about the morning), and preschool today, and night without Daddy (and with a super early supper, to accommodate Mr. Q), I suggested that both E and I get into our pyjamas at 5:30, and we had a pyjama party. As suspected, it was such a hit that she went very willingly to bed, and was asleep by 6:30. (Which has been my goal for a while. She's been so tired lately.)

Anticipated W: watch this space tomorrow morning: what if she wakes up at 5:30 tomorrow?

If you recall several months back, I commented about our denomination's atheist minister. She was up for a review by the church as to whether she still meets the standard of "essential agreement" with the stated beliefs of the church. The report was presented today and she was found by a diverse committee of 23 members to NOT be suitable for ministry within our denomination.

I agree with the decision but take no pleasure in it. Lots of hurt all over the place - the minister herself, her congregation, the "fans" she acquired because of all the media attention...and so many more. There will be a tribunal to place her on the discontinued service list, but the committee's recommendation will not be challenged in that court.

Major unbloggable whining going on at my house. I want to thank Sue for talking me through some of it. It's so nice to have this community of friends even when I can't do the whining in the community per se.

Esperanza, every morning. Reapply in the afternoons. You'll smell like bug spray all day, but you'll get bit less. As soon as it gets Texas dry again, you can stop.

This message brought to you by the lady who keeps forgetting to put on her bug spray before going out to look at the volunteer pumpkins near the compost bin, and thus currently has several mosquito bites.

I really ought to be doing the same as Liz. We've had a LOT of rain, and trips to the garden and the compost result in bites. Much sympathies, esperanza. (At it's worse for you, because you still have hot weather, and thus more exposed skin!)

Hugs to Liz for the unbloggable whines. I'm glad that Sue has been able to offer support.

The Louvre is amazing and wonderful; really too much to take in. We were there for 5.5 hours, and saw the Mona Lisa, the Code of Hammurabi, and about 5 million other pieces of art, and we did not even get to certain sectors of the museum! Lunch on a balcony overlooking the courtyard entryway.

We are kind of wiped out -- not just me (with the back that acts up with too much walking), but my very fit beloved is currently snoring on the bed in mid-afternoon!

The report from home is that everybody's good, the dog is only slightly in mourning. Dad skyped daughter at 5 a.m. Paris time, which just goes to show you the power of daddy love.

PS -- condolences to all the fellow mosquito magnets. When I lived in the South, everybody swore by @von sk1n s0 s0ft -- which I think was intended as a bath product, but it appeared at every BBQ and oyster roast, with people applying it directly. Far as I could tell, it didn't do much to keep the skeeters away from me, but the belief ran deep in the community.

Oh yes, sk1ns0 s0ft.... I grew up in the South, and I must say this particular product makes me gag, due to an unfortunate incident involving a minivan and a bottle of this stuff getting spilled everywhere-- overwhelming!!!!(for the record, I was not the culprit in spilling it.... but my parents' van smelled like that until the day the (finally!) got rid of it many many years later....visceral ugh!

Kathy a. So glad you are having a wonderful time at the Louvre and Paris!!!!!

W: We have a rainbow flag with the word PEACE written on it hanging on our fence. It makes me happy. But, I keep coming home to find it flipped over the top of the fence, so that it is no longer visible. I am really really really hoping it is the wind, but it wasn't really that windy yesterday. Hate to think that it is actually somebody doing that repeatedly. Thinking about weighting down the bottom, or staking it, or even considered using our trailcam that we use to take pictures in our backyard of wildlife to see if we could rig it and find out what's happening. (but the strap is too short to go around the only tree that would work). sigh. hoping it's the wind.

Our mosquitoes laugh at ASsoS. I may have unfairly maligned them. I think some of my bites, given their location, are chigger bites. I was walking on a GRAVEL path and somehow got chigger bites? Unjust. I also have two fire ant bites on my ankle. They are overrunning our yard, and my attempts to kill them. It's insect war over here.

Kathy a: WOW about your trip. Wow.

NL: so sorry about your suspicions about the flag. Hopefully there's a simple explanation.

This conversation, which is not going on facebook:After the church service, in which Baboos had been uncharacteristically well behaved:Me: Hey, y'all were so quiet! It was so nice! High fives!(pause for high fives)Sweet: Where's my trophy?

It's not really bragging if you wait until age 59 to do it. So -- if you ever have the chance to go to Paris, the place you really need to see is the Musee D'Orsay. Monet; Manet; Degas; Cezanne; Van Gogh; and so much more. Some of the paintings we saw, I have loved my whole life.

Well, at least they were really quiet DURING service! Mine had a meltdown during the last twenty minutes. (It all started with a meltdown on the way TO church, because the whole city is shut down due to a marathon, and we didn't take her favourite route to church: not crossing her favourite bridge = tragedy. And then she had a meltdown when her daddy took her to use the potty, and she had an accident before she could get to the potty, and all her clothes got wet, and her parents forgot to pack backup clothes for the first time ever...) We ended up bribing her with fast food on the way home, in order to distract her from the fact that we still couldn't cross her favourite bridge (and in fact had to take the most roundabout route ever, since we had marathoners running on three sides of our house).

AW: at least there were some pull-ups in her church backpack, and the puffy dress she chose to wear today only got a little wet (unlike her tights and undies), and dried quickly. Also, at least we didn't have it as bad as our friends have it: the marathon runs right past the end of their bay, and up every direction out of their part of our neighbourhood.

About Wednesday Whining

Wednesday Whining is a weekly blog with rotating hosts. Whines and Anti-Whines, both big and small, are welcome! Our purposes are mutual support and sharing a few laughs along the way.

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